


2035 Formula 1 Championship

by bbcf1sundays



Category: Formula 1 RPF
Genre: Multi, more added along the way
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-01
Updated: 2016-04-28
Packaged: 2018-04-07 03:49:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 6,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4248261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bbcf1sundays/pseuds/bbcf1sundays
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The 2035 championship year. Christian Horner  celebrates 15 years of ruling over F1. The largest number of 'dynasties' on the grid. But when Valterri Bottas breaks his foot before the first race, Ferrari have to find a new driver.</p><p>The headlines were repeated up and down the paddock. Christian Horner's estranged daughter joins the grid. Abandoned at six months old. No contact for over 20 years. Arguments in the Ferrari garage.</p><p>It would be a tough year for rookie Olivia Horner.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Australia - Drivers' Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> Baby Rosberg is called Alaïa. Changed her name in the fic :D

The drivers’ meeting was due in five minutes above the media offices. As much as they hated the long, tedious meetings, they provided some time for everyone to catch up. As Emilie walked towards the grey building, Alaïa joined her. The two started their conversation with the same topic that was flying around the paddock. Bottas had broken his foot before the first race of his last season. And Ferrari needed to find a new driver in a week.

"The rumour I've heard is that it's a girl," said Alaïa as she began to wrap her hair up into a ponytail.

Emilie smirked back. "If that's the case, Grosjean owes me 50 Euros." Alaïa gave a quizzical look so as Emilie continued. "There have never been more than 3 females on the grid contracted for the whole season. We could make it four this year!"

Emilie was practically jumping with excitement as they entered the building. Once they got to the room, she scanned in search of a certain Frenchman. She locked eyes with Sacha who patted the seat next to him. Emilie went over to join him and Alaïa sat behind them, with Max sitting next to Alaïa.

Alaïa looked over at the clock on the wall. 11:29. She strained her neck to look around the entire room, receiving a few smiles and waves. She saw Mick in his Ferrari shirt talking to Harri but no one else was wearing one.

“She going to be late to her first meeting,” said Max as he watched Alaïa.

“So it _is_ a girl?”

“I’ve heard so. You guys might break the record.” He smiled at Alaïa before looking back at the front of the room as the meeting began.

Christian started as per usual. It was his fifteenth year as chief executive of F1, or as all the drivers called him, The Puppetmaster. It was a typical, long rambling speech before he finally let the safety debrief begin. It was the usual stuff, nothing exciting. As the chatter in the room began to increase, there was a sudden clatter from near the door.

In the doorframe stood a girl in a red Ferrari t-shirt. She didn’t stay there for long. She kept her head to the floor as she tried to find a seat, her face hidden by her cap. Mick leant over and dragged her to the seat he had saved for his teammate. All eyes were on her but her head was still down. There was a loud cough from the mic and the drivers turned their attention back to the safety debrief.

All but Emilie. Emilie recognised her from somewhere. She couldn’t quite say where from but she knew that she had met the new driver before. As Sacha nudged Emilie back into reality Emilie put her thoughts to the back of her mind. Probably seen her in a garage last year, thought Emilie.

Once the meeting was over, there was one person who went for the door faster than anyone else. As the new driver opened the door, she didn’t realise that Hugo was behind it.

“Careful! Nearly took me out!” said Hugo.

“Well congrats,” said Sacha. He offered his hand to the new driver. “And not just for nearly taking Hugo out.” He winked at her causing her to grin. She looked up and shook his hand. “However, you have just made me lose 50 euros.”

Only the drivers were left in the room as the ‘official’ people had left.

“I’m Emilie,” she said as she offered her hand, starting a queue of drivers who began to introduce themselves. They shook her hand in turn, welcoming her to the class of 2035.

“Now hold on,” said Alaïa, loud enough for everyone to hear over the chatter. “Why don’t we let her introduce herself?”

“I’m Olivia,” said the new driver, looking at Alaïa with a small smile on her face.

“Have we met before?” asked Emilie, curiosity getting the better of her.

They all turned to face Olivia. “Yeah,” she admitted after a long silence. “Yeah but ages ago.”

“When? Because I really can’t remember,” said Emilie, an apologetic look on her face.

“Last I remember we were about seven,” replied Olivia.

“How come we haven’t met since then?”

“Oh Emilie, you can catch up later on,” interrupted Mick, as he walked towards Olivia. “I think I’m going to give my teammate a tour for now.”

Emilie nodded back at Mick and Olivia, who returned Emilie’s smile.

“Hold up! I want to know the name of the person who nearly broke my nose,” shouted out Hugo.

“Olivia,” she mumbled back. “Olivia Horner.”


	2. Australia - Post-qualy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pole: H Newey (Williams)

Olivia sat in the canteen area with Mick. He had his arm around her as she had her face buried in her hands. They had qualified 5th and 8th, but they all knew that it wasn’t the reason why Christian had decided to show up at the garage. As the yelling from upstairs grew louder and louder, the silence in the rest of the garage grew.

“You should have told me about this!” screamed Christian. “She is my daughter! You should have told me! I am her father-”

“You don’t know the first thing about being a father!” Beverly yelled back. “You didn’t give a damn about her all these years! You pretended that she didn’t even exist!” She stepped back, trying to compose herself. “She wants to race, and she will.”

Beverley turned on her heel and went downstairs catching a glimpse of her daughter as she headed out. Christian slowly made his way down the stairs. He stared at his daughter who was now in floods of tears but thankfully surrounded by others who were trying to comfort her. He quietly made his way out as the chatter in the garage resumed.

“I should just quit,” sobbed Olivia.

“Now that’s a stupid thought,” said Emilie, holding out another tissue.

“No it’s not,” said Olivia as she took the tissue Emilie had offered. “Otherwise he’ll just give me penalties and I’ll fail the team and-”

“Ross handles the whole stewarding side,” explained Emilie. “And he loves Ferrari,” she said with a smirk directed at Mick. “Just don’t do anything illegal or weird and he has no reason to be unfair to you.”

“Plus, he’s the one who looks bad, not you,” added Sacha.

“What are you even doing here Grosjean?” asked Mick. His question was answered as Alaïa returned with two bowls of pasta.

“Don’t judge us,” said Alaïa taking a bite. “The Italian food is by far the best,” she said, with her mouth half-full. The muffled noises made them all laugh. She swallowed the rest of her food and continued. “And I’m not going to Toro Rosso, before you ask,” with a stern look at Mick.

“I feel so old when I’m surrounded by you guys,” said Mick leaning back in his chair.

“Who knows, maybe your son could join the ‘dynasty’ in twenty years,” said Olivia as she stood up, wiping the last of her tears. “Anyone else up for some pasta?”


	3. Australia - Post-race

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Australian Grand Prix Classification  
> 1\. S Grosjean (Mercedes)  
> 2\. H Newey (Williams)  
> 3\. M Schumacher (Ferrari)  
> 4\. A Rosberg (Williams)  
> 5\. O Horner (Ferrari)  
> 6\. E Vettel (Mercedes)  
> 7\. R Raikkonen (Haas)  
> 8\. H Haikkenen (Sauber)  
> 9\. V Verstappen (Manor)  
> 10\. F Barrichello (Honda-McLaren)  
> 11\. M Verstappen (Haas)  
> 12\. C Sainz (Honda-McLaren)  
> 13\. J Cecotto (Audi)  
> 14\. L Norris (Toro Rosso)  
> DNF: G Alesi (Sauber), E Barrichello (Audi), O Rowland (Manor), F Massa (Red Bull), C Leclerc (Red Bull), M Vaxiviere (Toro Rosso)
> 
> Championship standings (Top 5)  
> 1\. H Newey - 25  
> 1\. S Grosjean - 25  
> 3\. M Schumacher - 18  
> 4\. A Rosberg - 15  
> 5\. O Horner - 12

The race had been a good one. It looked like the 2035 season was going to be filled with close battles. Grosjean, Newey and Schumacher finished on the podium for Mercedes, Williams and Ferrari. 

Olivia managed to move up from 8th to 5th after a brilliant pit stop and some great overtakes. And Ferrari had kept their promise - limited media contact.

The headlines were repeated up and down the paddock. Christian Horner's estranged daughter joins the grid. Abandoned at six months old. No contact for over 20 years. Arguments in the Ferrari garage.

Olivia tried to push all these to the back of her mind as she got ready for the party. She had just pulled her dress on when there was a knock on her door.

"Olivia? Alaïa sent me. It's Harrison."

Olivia opened the door to let him in. He was wearing trousers, a nice shirt and a suit jacket. He offered her a warm smile as he stepped in which she returned.

"In case you haven't heard by now, I'm Alaïa's personal carrier pigeon," he said with a smile. "She said she's running late, as usual," his smile grew,  "but she'll meet you in the lobby."

"Thanks," was all Olivia could mumble back.

"Are you alright? We've been kinda worried for you," said Harrison, his worry evident in his tone.

Olivia didn't respond. Her gaze was fixed on he floor.

"Hey, don't let them bring you down," he said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "All this will die down soon enough. Plus, you drove brilliantly today."

Olivia looked up at the taller Englishman. "Thanks," she said, but with more confidence in her voice.

"I'll walk you down, unless you want me to leave," he said, slowly stepping towards the door.

"Could you please walk down with me, Harrison?" she said, a smile starting to form.

"Call me Harri. And yeah I will," replied Harri as he sat on the edge on the bed. Olivia made her way back to her dressing table when she noticed Harri was looking at her.

"It's so strange," said Harri as he leaned against the headboard. Olivia gave him a questioning look through her reflection in the mirror and he continued. "I remember when you were born." Olivia turned around to face him as he recalled the events of the Japanese Grand Prix weekend of 2013 and for once, Olivia felt like she belonged.

 

She finished getting ready just as Harri finished his story.

"One tiny thing you should know," said Harri as Olivia grabbed her clutch. "The Toro Rosso drivers don't exactly like us."

"Us?" asked Olivia.

"The 'dynasties' as the media calls it" he explained. "Toro Rosso is the only team that doesn't have any. Them and Charles at Red Bull and Oliver at Manor."

"Is everyone else a dynasty?"

"Yup." He laughed as he caught sight of Olivia's face. "Not just the record for most females this year, also the record for most dynasties. Speaking of..."

Alaïa had made her way over to them. "Come on Olivia," she said grabbing her hand. "You've just taken part in your first ever F1 race! Time to celebrate!"

 

A very drunk Olivia was taken back to her room by Robin and Giuliano with Victoria following behind, holding Olivia's things. They hadn't realised how much of a lightweight she was. And doing shots with a Finn never ended well.

As they took her to her bed Victoria took her shoes and jewellery off and put the duvet over her. Robin put a glass of water and asprin on her bedside table.

"It helps massively with hangovers," he said in his usual monotone voice.

"Well, no one's going to disagree with the expert," said Giuliano as Victoria laughed. They could've swore they saw Robin smile.

The three made their way out of the room and heard the door click shut behind them. They said their goodbyes and went back to their rooms and climbed into bed.

Robin didn't pay attention to the extra room key in his pocket, presuming it was his girlfriend's, as he climbed into bed next to her.

Meanwhile, Olivia slept peacefully, unaware that her room key was missing from her clutch.


	4. Australia - The Day After The Night Before

Mick had just walked out of the shower when his phone rang.

“Mick?”

“Olivia? What wrong?”

“I can’t find my room key,” she said in a panicked tone.

“Relax,” he chuckled back. “Robin has it. How’s the hangover?”

“The aspirin helped.” Mick could almost hear the smile on her face.

“Raikkonen again. I’ll meet you downstairs for breakfast.”

Olivia hung up and got changed. On the elevator downstairs she found Robin who gave her the room key. She accompanied him to breakfast, which drew attention to them for all the wrong reasons.

“Look at that! She’s joined the dynasties already!”

Olivia turned to face the person who had passed that comment. She recognised his face but couldn’t remember his name.

“Norris,” said Robin, as if he could read her mind. “Lando Norris.”

“Has she already forgotten?” snickered Lando. “We’ve already introduced ourselves to you. A memory like that and racing for Ferrari in F1? You’d be lucky to last half the season.”

“Ignore him Olivia,” said Robin guiding her to the breakfast buffet.

“Come on Raikkonen. Why do you give a damn?” shouted out Lando as the two kept walking away. “She’s not even a proper dynasty!”

The last comment did it for Olivia. Her tears began to fall as she sat next to Mick on the Ferrari table. Silence had fallen over the room as Olivia quietly sobbed and Lando chuckled to himself.

“What matters is that she’s a proper F1 driver,” said Max as he stood up. “Better than what can be said for _you_.”

“I didn’t have daddy’s success guarantee me a seat,” replied Lando as he too stood up.

As Hugo and Alaïa began to stand up Claire stepped up to the centre of all the tables.

“Unless all of you want to lose your race seats, I suggest sitting down.” She looked at them in turn as they sat back down, offering a particular glare to Lando. “And Norris, stop trying to pick petty schoolboy fights. It’s just the first race.”

 

As the noise levels began to rise Olivia made her way to the buffet. She stood in line behind someone in a Red Bull shirt. All she could think was why he was wearing a cap indoors. As she started to fill up her plate, he spoke.

“I know it’s easier said than done, but try to ignore Norris and his friends.”

“Thanks, Feliphino.”

“Call me Pea,” he said offering her a smile as they reached the drinks at the end. “Tea or juice?”

“Tea please,” she replied.

“Like a true Brit.”

As Olivia reached for the milk, Pea stopped her. “Uncle Rob taught me how to make a proper builder’s tea. Trust me.”

Once her tea was made, and Pea had done a good job, she started to make her way back before he stopped her again.

“And what they say isn’t true. You are a dynasty. And even if you weren’t, it doesn’t matter. You’re a good driver and that’s what is important.”

Pea looked surprised as Olivia pulled him into a hug, which was slightly awkward given the plates and drinks in their hands.

“Thanks Pea. You guys have been so nice to me-“

“Why? What did you expect?” smiled Pea. “Now off to your team’s table before they wonder where you are.”

Olivia smiled back at him and made her way to her table. “And the niceness might not last,” he shouted. “It’s only the first race!”


	5. China - Pre-race

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pole: A Rosberg (Williams)

Olivia had managed to survive through the drivers’ meeting. She wanted to sit at the back, hidden by her cap but as Sacha pointed out, the red Ferrari colour could be spotted from a mile away. So she sat surrounded by Emilie, Mick, Alaïa and Harri. She felt protected by them - her two 'big brothers' and two fast friends.

Right now, she stood with Pea and Max before the drivers’ parade. It was running a few minutes late due to the bus having an engine problem.

“Let’s hope we don’t have that problem,” laughed Pea.

“Yeah,” agreed Max. “A double retirement last time out. Your junior team is doing better that you!”

“They have a different engine though...,” mumbled Pea.

“So what are we talking about?” asked Alaïa as she made her way to the group.

“Just about Toro Rosso and Norris,” said Max with a cheeky look on his face.

“Drop that look Verstappen.”

“Little Miss Princess getting annoyed?”

Max smiled at Alaïa before turning back to Pea. “The only Red Bull that lasted the whole race was his though, wasn’t it?” Pea nodded back at him.

“Is that the only topic you can find?” asked Alaïa as she went to sip her drink. Max only smiled back at her.

Olivia looked at both of them, confusion evident on her face. “Have I completely missed something here?”

Max looked at Alaïa as his grin got even bigger. “Do you want to do the honours?”

“You can,” retorted Alaïa, as she took her phone out.

Max turned to face Olivia. “You see,” he started, “Alaïa and Lando were pretty close before. They were teammates in GP2.”

“I knew that,” said Olivia.

“But they were _close_ ,” continued Max. “And he pulled a dick move and crushed Alaïa's heart and that’s what started this whole thing.”

Olivia looked at Alaïa who was concentrating very hard on the drink in her hand. Silence had fallen over the quartet. Luckily, Pea started a conversation about Max’s children and Alaïa eventually joined in.

 

The bus eventually returned and they started to make their way to it. Olivia walked with Alaïa.

“You’ve still got questions,” said Alaïa as she looked ahead. “And I’m not going to tell you what that dick move was. Not yet.”

She smiled at Olivia but it was difficult to tell if the smile reached her eyes behind her sunglasses.

Meanwhile, Eduardo had made his way over to them. “Look at those flags!” he exclaimed, pointing at the handmade Ferrari flag that draped over half the fans in the grandstand. “A lot of support for you guys,” he said to Olivia.

"I can't even imagine how long that took to make!" replied Olivia.

“It’s a bit crazy,” he laughed. “But don’t think I won’t try to kick your butt!”

“We’ll see where we are after the first corner!”


	6. China - Post-race

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chinese Grand Prix Classification  
> 1\. E Vettel (Mercedes)  
> 2\. S Grosjean (Mercedes)  
> 3\. A Rosberg (Williams)  
> 4\. M Schumacher (Ferrari)  
> 5\. H Newey (Williams)  
> 6\. M Verstappen (Haas)  
> 7\. H Haikkenen (Sauber)  
> 8\. O Horner (Ferrari)  
> 9\. G Alesi (Sauber)  
> 10\. V Verstappen (Manor)  
> 11\. O Rowland (Manor)  
> 12\. F Barrichello (Honda-McLaren)  
> 13\. E Barrichello (Audi)  
> 14\. F Massa (Red Bull)  
> 15\. C Sainz (Honda-McLaren)  
> 16\. L Norris (Toro Rosso)  
> 17\. M Vaxiviere (Toro Rosso)  
> DNF: R Raikkonen (Haas), J Cecotto (Audi), C Leclerc (Red Bull)
> 
> Championship standings (Top 5)  
> 1\. S Grosjean - 45  
> 2\. A Rosberg - 38  
> 3\. H Newey - 37  
> 4\. E Vettel - 35  
> 5\. M Schumacher - 33

Olivia was in the press pen after the race with Sofia, her PR guide. She was getting bored of being asked the same questions again and again. Yes the race could have gone better. Yes the pit stop will be looked at. Yes it was a good recovery. It was very tedious and repetitive. Her mind was imagining the comfortable bed in her hotel room when Alex’s question interrupted her.

“So has Christian said anything to you?”

She looked at the presenter before speaking. “No. Why would he?”

“You know, he is your dad and it would be-“

“No more questions,” said Sofia as she took Olivia out of the pen.

Olivia was rushed back to the garage as more reporters began to crowd her, asking the same question. By the time they had reached the bottom of the stairs, Olivia had managed to regain her composure.

She turned to face the mob of cameras behind her. “Christian Horner happens to be the man I share a surname with. I haven’t spoken to him all my life and see no reason to.” And with that, she turned on her heel and marched up the stairs.

 

Mick was giving Emilie and Alaïa a lift to the hotel. He had offered Olivia one but she had declined, giving an excuse that even she knew didn’t really make sense. Mick just smiled back, understanding that she needed some time to herself.

She stayed until it was dark and the paddock was almost empty. As she started walking back to the car park she bumped into someone walking the other way.

“Sorry,” mumbled Olivia as she took the hand that was offered to her to get back on her feet.

“No problem.” A shiver ran through her body as she recognised the voice.

“Norris.”

“Horner.”

She could just about make his face in the dark, almost grinning.

“So why is a fine lady like yourself staying so late in the paddock?”

“None of your business,” she replied as she walked past him to continue her journey to the car park. She could hear the faint footsteps as he ran to catch up to her.

“Okay fine. Whatever relationship you have with the Puppetmaster is private. I get that.”

Olivia rolled her eyes, silently wishing he had seen that. She pressed the button on the car keys and two lights blinked in the corner of the car park.

“You don’t even know where you parked your car?” sniggered Lando.

“Spare team cars. I just took one of the keys from the garage.”

They had reached the car and Olivia unlocked and got in. As she was about to shut the door, Lando grabbed it and held it open.

“Listen. I have some advice for you.” Olivia rolled her eyes as he continued. “The dynasties are known for befriending people only to screw them over later on.”

“Why should I trust you?” asked Olivia, the annoyance evident in her tone.

“Because they’ve done it to me before.”

“They?”

“Rosberg.” He sighed. “I’m just trying to warn you-”

“It’s getting late and I have to go. See you.” Thankfully Lando’s grip on the door had loosened and Olivia shut it and drove out of the car park and away from the track.

By the time she had reached her hotel room she had decided that she needed to find out whatever had happened between Alaïa and Lando in GP2.


	7. China - The Monday After the Race

Olivia started to walk out of the lift towards the lobby where all the teams stood to check out. She dragged her suitcase behind her and clutched a coffee in her hand. But this being her luck, her long cardigan got stuck as the lift doors shut and the lift moved back up. As she tried to free herself, her coffee cup crashed onto the floor and the hot drink splattered across the floor. All the commotion attracted the attention of a few people in the lobby.

 

Hugo was the first one to reach her. He helped her remove her cardigan whilst keeping a hand on her so that she wouldn’t fall over. Victoria moved her suitcase out of the puddle of coffee whilst Fernando and Guiliano picked up the smaller objects she had dropped on the floor. The hotel staff had begun to make their way over to clean the mess.

 

Meanwhile, Olivia was almost in tears from embarrassment. She tried to use Hugo to shield her and he happily obliged. He slowly guided her over to where most of the Ferrari team had gathered and Mick took over.

“Are you hurt?” he panicked.

“Just my ego,” Olivia smiled back.

Mick was reassured by her smile and fell back into his seat. Olivia was reunited with her belongings and thanks to her personal trainer, she soon had a cup of fresh coffee in her hand as well.

“You’ve never been one for coffee,” wondered Mick.

“Normally I don’t drink it. But I seriously needed one today.” She headed over to join the queue at the front desk.

“Just don’t make it a habit,” said Mick.

“He’s right about the coffee,” Emilie chimed in. “Plus, why do you need it?”

“Clearly she went to bed late after the party,” said a monotone voice from behind Emilie. “But coffee doesn’t help with hangover headaches.”

“I didn’t see you at the party,” continued Emilie. “And you wouldn’t have seen her anyways, Raikkonen. Too busy at the bar.” She winked at him as the corners of his mouth turned upwards for a few milliseconds. “So,” said Emilie as she turned back to face Olivia, “why all the coffee?”

“I was googling the whole night,” said Olivia.

“What could be so important?”

“Nothing. Just about Lando and Alaïa in GP2.”

A heavy silence fell between the small group. Thankfully, Mick had reached the front of the queue and by that point, Emilie had regained use of her voice.

“So what did you find out?”

“Nothing much,” mumbled back Olivia, but Emilie’s look meant that she wasn’t saying enough. “They initially had a good season in GP2 in the midfield when they were going out. They broke up over the summer break and by the end of the season, Alaïa got a podium so she got an F1 seat.”

“That’s all that you found?” Emilie insisted.

“Yup,” sighed Olivia.

 

She had reached the desk at this point and as she signed the papers, she heard Emilie and Robin having a conversation in hushed voices. She couldn’t make out what they were saying but it sounded tense.

 

As she walked back to her seat, Robin grabbed her arm.

“Listen, Olivia,” he whispered. “Don’t go digging for this information. Alaïa will tell you when she wants to. Lando....he can fuck with your mind and that’s what he did to Alaïa. Don’t let him get to you.”

He let her go and she walked back to her seat. On the short walk, she cast a glance over where Lando was sat, only to find his gaze in her direction. Even when she sat down, she could feel his eyes burning holes in the back of her shirt.

 

Thankfully, she had a short time to wait as the minibuses arrived to take them to the airport. She sat next to her personal trainer on the flight, exhausted from the weekend and was soon fast asleep.


	8. Spain - Post-qualy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pole: E Vettel (Mercedes)

The European races had begun. This meant that all the teams now had their motor homes and the drivers had their big trailers. The trucks were parked on a small ground near the track. It was a mixed blessing as the track was only a five minute walk for them, but everyone was close to each other.

 

In light of this, Harri and Mick decided to have a barbeque after the race in the middle of the field. Once all the food had been approved by the trainers, the drivers were left to themselves.

“That was a stonking fast lap,” said Robin, taking a seat on the picnic blanket next to Emilie.

“Papa says I’ve got his speed,” she joked. “It’s just taken me this long to show it on the track.”

“I’ve got papa’s love for number seven as well as his bad luck,” chuckled Robin.

“You’ll be fine,” said Pea, patting Robin on the back. The Finn reached for some water as Pea continued, “At least the races are exciting! Different race winners with different teams!”

“It’s only been two races,” Robin mumbled.

Pea and Emilie ignored Robin's pessimism. “I’ll try to be the first repeat winner,” smiled Emilie.

 

On the other side of the grill stood Max, Mick and Harri.  Being the eldest on the grid, they had decided to take full charge of the barbeque. As Mick placed another piece of meat on the grill, Olivia approached with an empty plate.

“What will it be?” asked Harri, waving the tongs towards the grill.

“Just that small piece of chicken,” she indicated.

Harri carefully placed it on her plate. “You alright?”

“Just lost in some thoughts.”

“What about?”

Olivia took a deep breath. “Could I talk to you for a minute?”

“Sure.” Harri turned to Mick to indicate he was leaving. He picked up a plate, filled it with some food and followed Olivia to the steps of her trailer. “So, what’s bothering you? Norris?”

Olivia shook her head. “Nothing to do with them. Just...”

Harri took a hard look at her. Olivia’s head was down, staring at the plate on her lap. “Is this about Christian?”

She kept her head down. “You were with the team when I was born.”

“Yup. Dad took me because they could’ve won the title that race.”

“You’ve told me that. I just want to know what happened after.”

 

Harri paused, unsure of how to approach the topic. He had heard rumours, but he was a child then. He wasn’t told anything. Later on, Emilie had told him more but he didn’t feel it was his place to be the one to tell Olivia.

 

“Look, Olivia.” He hesitated before continuing. “From what I remember, Christian was very happy when you were born, make no mistake of that. He and Bev tried for a long time for you and they were both delighted.” A small smile was forming on Olivia’s face and Harri’s heart panged at the idea of ending that. “Next I heard was months later, that Christian was with Geri. I don’t know anymore. I’m sorry.”

Olivia pushed the hair away from her face. “Harri, I know you know more.”

He shook his head. “Just rumours. I don’t want to tell you the wrong thing.” He looked at the sadness in her eyes, the eyes that were desperately searching for clues. “Emilie knows more,” he blurted.

To his surprise, Olivia didn’t react. At least not physically. After a long silence, she spoke. “I thought you might say that. I remember hanging out with her when we were little.” She took another deep breath. “I’ll talk to her.” She finally lifted her face up to see Harri. “Thank you.”

Harri hugged her, his protectiveness for her ever growing. “Now come on,” he said pulling away. “Your food’s probably gone cold. Let’s get you a new plate.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the lack of updates but my motivation is returning! Hope you liked it :D


	9. Spain - Post-race

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spanish Grand Prix Classification  
> 1\. E Vettel (Mercedes)  
> 2\. M Schumacher (Ferrari)  
> 3\. H Newey (Williams)  
> 4\. A Rosberg (Williams)  
> 5\. O Horner (Ferrari)  
> 6\. S Grosjean (Mercedes)  
> 7\. G Alesi (Sauber)  
> 8\. M Verstappen (Haas)  
> 9\. H Haikkenen (Sauber)  
> 10\. R Raikkonen (Haas)  
> 11\. F Barrichello (Honda-McLaren)  
> 12\. E Barrichello (Audi)  
> 13\. F Massa (Red Bull)  
> 14\. J Cecotto (Audi)  
> 15\. O Rowland (Manor)  
> 16\. M Vaxiviere (Toro Rosso)  
> 17\. C Sainz (Honda-McLaren)  
> 18\. C Leclerc (Red Bull)  
> 19\. L Norris (Toro Rosso)  
> DNF: V Verstappen (Manor)
> 
> Championship standings (Top 5)  
> 1\. E Vettel - 65  
> 2\. S Grosjean - 55  
> 3\. H Newey - 55  
> 4\. M Schumacher - 53  
> 5\. A Rosberg - 53

Emilie kept her promise. She had led the race from start to finish whilst Mick and Harri had fought over P2. Olivia was unhappy with her race. She had qualified 4th but after a bad start and a few off track excursions, she had finished fifth.

She walked towards the garage after being on the weighbridge. She kept her helmet on, not wanting to interact with any media. Sofia followed behind her as they entered the garage and went to Olivia’s room.

“You’re putting a lot of pressure on yourself,” Sofia said, placing Olivia’s drink on the table. Olivia was angrily pulling her helmet and balaclava off. “Fifth is good. You have a lot of competition and it was a good race.”

As she pulled the earplugs out, Olivia started her rant. “Three times I went off the track! Three times! I could’ve been in the wall at one point! No wonder Ferrari only gave me a year’s contract-” She was interrupted by a knock at the door. “Who is it?” she yelled.

“Mick,” was the quiet reply. Olivia took a moment to compose herself as Sofia opened the door. “Hey Sofia,” smiled Mick.

“Hey,” she smiled back. “I was just on my way downstairs.” And with that, she left the room to the two drivers.

Olivia had taken a seat on the massage table and Mick sat next to her. The both sat in silence for a while. Mick was the one to break it.

“Hey, Liv,” he turned to face her; “you did a good job today.”

“Come on Mick, stop lying.”

“I’m not joking. You went off three times but still made it back up to fifth. Now that’s good.”

“I suppose so.” Olivia turned to face Mick, her expression slowly softening. Mick smiled at her and she returned it. “But Liv? Seriously?”

“Harri’s idea,” he replied, jumping off the table. “Now come on, press time.”

 

With a sigh and a groan, Olivia followed Mick down the stairs into the garage. To her surprise, both sides of the garage seemed happy with their jobs. The smile on her face returned as she met up with a clearly worried Sofia before walking towards the pen.

 

In the pen, she repeated the same answers to many different people before she was finally allowed back to the motorhome for the debrief. The debrief went surprisingly well. The team were happy with her performance, saying they had excepted her lack of experience to show at some point at the start of the season.

 

Olivia was in a much better mood as she left the motorhome for the evening and went to her little trailer.

 

Within a few moments, Emilie was knocking on the door. "Olivia!"

"Hey Em," Olivia smiled as she opened the door. "Congrats." The exhaustion was evident in her voice.

"Clearly you're tired," smirked Emilie. "I'll let you nap for a few hours before the party."

"What party?"

"I won so I'm having a party," she stated, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I'll text you the details!" And with those words, an energetic Emilie bounded back to her trailer.

Olivia groaned, knowing that the party would be in a few hours and she would have no time to nap. She put her shoes back on and headed towards the only black trailer.

"What should I drink if I'm already exhausted?" she asked, standing outside the door. 

Robin opened the door to let her in. "You need hangover help as well," he winked. "You're starting to get a reputation Horner."


	10. Spain - The party

There was strobe lighting, good music, better company and alcohol. _A lot_ of alcohol.

Olivia’s competitive nature led to her having a shots competition with Robin. She had been sick twice but came back every time as if she was renewed. People thought she was enjoying herself, just being your average 22 year old. Little did they know the worries she was taking down.

They had long lost count of how much drink they had had, each too drunk to care. The music was loud, the beat vibrating in her ear. She couldn’t hear what the person next to her was saying so she leaned in closer.

Her lips met a pair of rough ones. Rough and demanding. Her mouth was soon open, the stranger’s tongue doing battle with her own. But it was too short.

They were pulled apart by a pair of strong hands. “What the hell Norris?!” yelled Robin, just loud enough to be heard. Robin released his grip on Lando’s shirt and faced Olivia. “Are you alright?”

Olivia shrug him off and headed for the door. Robin was close behind her and Lando behind him.

“Olivia?” Robin jogged his way in front of her, stopping her from walking any further.

“ _Yes_ ,” she sneered. She saw that a few others had joined them but her vision was too blurred to say exactly who.

“Liv,” Harri was here, “have you had too much to drink?”

“Do you even need to ask that question?” As was Alaïa.

“I know right.” Emilie. “She looks like-”

“An absolute mess?” Olivia walked closer to them. “I’m right here you know.”

“Liv,” Mick sounded as worried as Harri. He reached for her shoulder. “Do you need any of us to take you back?”

“ _Don’t_ touch me.” She pushed Mick’s hand off of her and started to walk towards Lando who had a large grin on his face. Unfortunately for her, Alaïa got in her way.

“I wouldn’t,” she whispered.

“Oh really?” Olivia raised an eyebrow at her. “What’s the phrase? Been there, **done** that?”

“Why are you doing this?” asked the young German.

“Why the fuck not?!” yelled back Olivia, fighting her tears back. “Why are you guys doing all this to me?”

“What are we doing?” interjected Emilie.

“ _This!_ ” Olivia motioned to the people surrounding her. “Why are you guys protecting me?” The tears started falling from her face.

“You are a friend to us,” replied Emilie.

“Did you even give me an option?!”

“Olivia.” Mick’s voice was maintaining the calm. “You’re drunk. Let’s take you back and we’ll talk about this later.”

“No.” Olivia crossed her arms.

“Leave her Mick,” said Alaïa. “She doesn’t want us here.” Mick and Harri both shot her a look before turning back to Olivia.

“You would know about leaving people, wouldn’t you Rosberg?” jeered Olivia.

Alaïa turned back to face Olivia. “What the fuck do you mean?”

“Oh I read about it alright. You and Lando together from F4 till GP2.” A smug smile had formed on Olivia’s face. “You scared that people wouldn’t believe in you so you used Lando to get a good public perception. And when you got your big F1 seat, you dumped him in front of your whole team.”

Alaïa’s hands were balled into fists either side of her. Her gaze passed behind Olivia to Lando who had the brightest smile on his face. “Is that what the little fucker told you?” She took slow, small steps towards Olivia, trying to be as calm as she could. Olivia nodded her head. “And you trust him?”

“You clearly don’t. None of you do.”

“What do you mean?” asked Harri, his voice relatively quiet.

“You won’t tell me about Lando or about dad-”

“Is this what this is about?” interrupted Emilie. “We care about you Olivia. We’re just trying not to hurt you.”

“Clearly, you’re doing a brilliant job.” Olivia turned on her heel and started to walk towards Lando. Her short walk was interrupted by someone’s hand grabbing her jacket.

“Come with me,” demanded Alaïa. Oliva initially resisted but Emilie joined and helped pull Olivia to the direction of the camping site. “And this time you really don’t get a choice.”


	11. Germany - Post-qualy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the long wait! I've been toying with a few ideas for the direction of this fic and I've finally decided one. Enjoy :)
> 
> Pole: S Grosjean (Mercedes)

It was the weekend of the German grand prix. Olivia didn’t have a chance to catch up with anyone before. All she remembered was being way too drunk and yelling at them. She couldn’t even remember why. Here, Mick and his wife had taken her into their hands and had insisted that she stay with them. They had invited her for the whole week and had shown her Berlin and Cologne and let her take in all the sights. Still, she couldn’t face Mick about what had happened, dreading what she might’ve said.

Qualifying had ended and as Mercedes celebrated another pole, Olivia sat in the motorhome, quietly sipping a drink. She hear familiar footsteps behind her and caught a glimpse of her favourite German taking a seat next to her.

“They love you here,” remarked Olivia.

“Yeah,” smiled Mick. “Something about 9 world championships in the family.”

“And a big ego,” she smirked back.

Mick chuckled. “You’re not wrong there.”

Olivia paused before she continued. “Thank you again. To all your family. For everything this week-”

“Stop it.” Mick turned his chair to face her. “Stop feeling guilty. I told you, no one is offended by what you said. No one is pissed off with you.”

“You sure?” Her voice was quiet.

“Positive.” He leant back in his chair. “Otherwise little Miss Rosberg would’ve told you for sure. Come to think of it, so would’ve Em.”

Olivia allowed herself a small smile. “She’ll take you on tomorrow.”

“Ahh, I’m not fussed. I want to win,” he said, as Olivia shot him a worried look, “but if she won I wouldn’t mind. There are others I would mind losing to.”

“Hugo,” whispered Olivia, her mouth half in the glass.

“I heard you missy,” smirked Mick. “And speaking off, I’m gonna meet my engineers. I’ll try to catch you before I leave.”

“If not,” said Olivia, raising her glass in the air, “Forza Schumi!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who do you want to win the title by the way? For now, I've decided the results till the summer break. Should there be a turn around by an underdog or do you have a favourite? Comment and let me know!


	12. Germany - Post-race

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> German Grand Prix Classification  
> 1\. M Schumacher (Ferrari)  
> 2\. A Rosberg (Williams)  
> 3\. S Grosjean (Mercedes)  
> 4\. O Horner (Ferrari)  
> 5\. E Vettel (Mercedes)  
> 6\. H Newey (Williams)  
> 7\. M Verstappen (Haas)  
> 8\. V Verstappen (Manor)  
> 9\. G Alesi (Sauber)  
> 10\. H Haikkenen (Sauber)  
> 11\. E Barrichello (Audi)  
> 12\. F Barrichello (Honda-McLaren)  
> 13\. O Rowland (Manor)  
> 14\. C Sainz (Honda-McLaren)  
> 15\. J Cecotto (Audi)  
> 16\. L Norris (Toro Rosso)  
> 17\. C Leclerc (Red Bull)  
> 18\. M Vaxiviere (Toro Rosso)   
> DNF: R Raikkonen (Haas), F Massa (Red Bull)
> 
> Championship standings (Top 5)  
> 1\. M Schumacher - 78  
> 2\. S Grosjean - 78  
> 3\. E Vettel - 77  
> 4\. A Rosberg - 73  
> 5\. H Newey - 65

Mick had a blistering start and ran away with it to win the race. Olivia managed to gain a place from qualifying and finished in fourth. She reluctantly joined in the celebrations and welcomed the comments about her own race pace.

Once the media had given them some space, they headed back to the garage where Mick’s family had gathered, including his parents. With Michael and Corinna stood drivers Olivia had admired, from Sebastian Vettel to Felipe Massa. The drivers of the 2000s and 2010s had gathered to meet Michael and watch their children race. Amongst them, Olivia’s eyes fell on Alaia who gave her a small smile. Before the Brit could move owards her, Emilie bounded to her.

“Hey!” she smiled. “Papa wants to meet you.”

“Wha-a-t?” stuttered Olivia.

“Come _on_ , Liv.” The German pushed her towards the table facing a TV. “You’re no stranger to us.”

Emilie was slightly stronger than her and managed to push her into a chair. The woman next to Olivia turned around.

“Olivia!” She hugged tighly. “Last I saw you, you were six!”

“Seven,” corrected Emilie.

Olivia moved back. “Auntie Hanna??”

“Liv!”

“Uncle Seb?”

“Who else?” Seb grabbed her for a tight hug as well. “God, you’ve grown!”

Olivia lent back in her seat. Three Germans she hadn’t seen in almost fifteen years were here. This used to be her second family. She could feel the tears welling up.

“Here you go,” said Hanna, passing her a tissue. As she blew her nose, her eyes fell on the TV.

“Is that-?”

“Matty. Leading the GP2 championship.”

“Wow…”

“Forget about that,” said Seb, turning his chair to face Liv. “We’re so proud of you! How are you finding it? How’s Bev?”

As her tears started to fall, Hanna wrapped an arm around her and prepared for a very long catch-up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the big delay! I had some problem with corrupted file but have managed to half-recover all the standings and results. I promise more regular updates!


End file.
